United States Army Corps of Engineers Engineering With Nature Initiative

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with the University of Georgia (UGA) established the Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN). N-EWN was developed to accelerate the delivery of nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure in the public and private sectors.

The collaboration was initiated by USACE researchers led by Dr. Todd Bridges, the EWN national lead, and Dr. Jeffrey King, EWN program manager. Sixteen UGA researchers from ten different colleges and departments will apply their expertise to the acceleration of EWN. The project leader for UGA is Dr. Brian Bledsoe, a professor in the College of Engineering and Director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems. The N-EWN partnership also draws from the expertise of the UGA’s River Basin Center and Center for Integrative Conservation Research.

USACE presented a $2.5 million award to UGA to establish the collaborative network, which will be a clearinghouse for tools, products, and outreach for researchers and practitioners from both organizations working on nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure projects. Additionally, the partnership seeks to expand N-EWN by inviting other academic institutions, federal agencies, and private industry partners to join the network.